Never Stopped Loving You
by closed20172017
Summary: Life was easy. He was a Pokemon Master, had a beautiful girlfriend and was practically rolling in money. So how come this five-year-old was making his life so diffucult? Fits into canon, Pokeshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Yo, Cat is back! With not-a-oneshot! 'But Cat, it's not Almost Absolutely Certain like you promised!' I know. I am also aware that I have basically been non-existent for many months now. There was a phase where I couldn't be bothered to write or even think about writing. I'm still in that void of 'i dun wanna open google docs kill me pls' but at least I'm opening up Google Docs? Also, this chapter and half of chapter 2 was written back in my I-have-inspiration days, so if the style changes drastically - then whoops. Sorry in advance. I don't own Pokemon.**

 **Never Stopped Loving You**

 **Chapter One**

"Ash, we'll be needing you to do some sort of speech at the Sinnoh Grand Festival with the next Top Coordinator. Please don't oversleep again, like the Hoenn Grand Festival. You only have to be at the arena at 1:30pm, that's plenty of time! It should just be a two hour flying journey on your Charizard, so you could always travel tomorrow, I just need you to be there on time. You got that?"

I sigh, glancing at my watch quickly. 6:00pm exactly. Didn't really feel that early. The sky was too dark and the air was too cold. Perhaps it was the fact that Kalos liked to switch between seasons quickly. Though, thinking about it, autumn never really happened. It just went from summer to winter very quickly, and the long summer days dissolved to long winter nights far too quickly for me. Or maybe I was too used to the slow transitions back in Kanto.

"Sure, Lance. Though, in my time, 1:30pm in Sinnoh is 7:30am over here in Kalos. What's with all the Sinnoh jobs? I live in Kalos, if you didn't remember. Get me jobs where I am. Plane tickets and train passes cost a lot, you know."

"Oh Ash, it's not that easy, my boy. And don't even start talking about plane tickets and train passes! First, you don't use them, you have Charizard. Second, you have tons of money! You rake in about a million pokecoins a day, at least. And third, don't use your sass on me! Respect your elders." I laugh, and he continues after a huff. "Sinnoh just tends to love the ultimate Pokemon Master more than Kalos. Kalos is filled with all the pretty stuff like coordinating and the dancing stuff."

I raise an eyebrow in amusement at Lance's words. He hangs up after muttering something about dinner with his wife. Must be nice having a wife. Someone to cook for you, look after you…but that was pretty much the same as a girlfriend, right? To me, I didn't really care, but women took it more seriously, I guess.

Serena would be coming home soon. We were both 26, young adults, two people in a relationship, and we had a good life together. It had been five years since I claimed my lifelong dream of claiming the Pokemon Master title, and I was practically rolling in money, like Lance said. Together, we had a small mansion, due to me preferring smaller houses but Serena wanting a big one, and multiple Pokemon fields, mostly filled with all the Pokemon I had caught over the 16 years of training. Even with all that, I didn't feel satisfied. I felt greedy.

I missed Kanto. I would never say it to Serena, since she loved Kalos, but I'd rather live in my home region. It wasn't fair to her, I had always thought, since Kalos was her home region. Plus, Kanto was much closer to Sinnoh, where most my jobs were situated, but it was just too much of a fuss to move.

Ping!

Glancing over at my phone, I felt a prickle of guilt as I saw it was a text from Clemont. I already knew what he was going to say to me. Sensing that I was almost wanting to ignore the text, Pikachu glared at me from the other side of the room.

 _Clemont: Have you done it?_

I gulped. I felt bad.

 _Ash: I forgot._

Growing up, I was strictly taught by my mom never to tell a lie. I inwardly cursed at myself and I read over the text I had just sent. Oh well. I had an excuse?

But I really didn't want to propose to Serena. Clemont was a good friend, but he was surprisingly protective of Serena, and apparently she wanted me to hurry up and propose, so we could settle down and have a family. He had been pushing for me to do it for the last few weeks, and I had been reluctantly pretending to myself that I didn't have time.

 _Clemont: Why?_

Why? Because I was still young. I didn't really want to settle down just yet; at least, not with her. When I pictured my future, it wasn't Serena I saw. Though, I didn't see a particular woman either. I was the type of guy who could party and work endlessly with Pokemon until I was at least 60, and Serena was the girl who wanted a father to her kids who was consistently there.

She had even told me once that I should retire early so we could raise up children.

I had been dreaming of my Pokemon Master title since I was small, I wasn't about to give it up soon. Of course, I loved kids, and I was fine with children, but I would've thought she would have understood. Apparently not.

 _Ash: Not yet._

 _Clemont: Soon?_

 _Ash: I'll buy a ring. Propose to her in the next week or so. Happy?_

 _Clemont: Good luck._

True to my word, I stood up abruptly, switching off the huge television, and sliding clumsily down the many flights of stairs. When I was little, my mom and I had a small cottage, no stairs, so the jagged carpet was still a wonder to me. Oh, the joys of being home alone.

I passed Pikachu, and he hopped gracefully into my shoulder. I chuckled as we crawled down the last set of stairs.

Shrugging on a jacket, I peered outside. Rain. I would have to take an umbrella too, then. I glanced at the umbrella stand, debating which one I should take; not something too bright and colourful, I disliked being noticed by fans. Pikachu would also have to be hidden, for the risk of him being recognised.

Ping!

I almost ignored it, thinking it'd be Clemont, but it was Serena. Speak of the devil.

 _Serena: I won't be coming home tonight, the weather is horrible so I'll be staying over with Shauna, don't miss me too much xx_

Perfect. She wouldn't know that I would be missing for a while.

I spun the black umbrella around as I strolled through the almost empty streets. Most people were too busy hurrying back home to notice that the Pokemon Master was casually shopping, and I grinned childishly. I guess I didn't change too much after all these years. Just matured a little to fit my job and looks.

The rain was getting heavier, so I jogged a little. As much as I loved the rain, I didn't want a cold. The small jewellery store was hardly noticeable in the blurry mist of water to most people, but I knew this road like the back of my hand.

"Bonnie!"

Leaning on the table, I smirked as the small woman almost jumped out of her skin. She squealed in delight as she recognised me, almost climbing over the tall table to hug me.

"Ash! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"You too, Bonnie. How was college?"

"It was good. Now, cut the small talk, you're here for a reason, right?"

She smirked, not letting me answer, and petted Pikachu as she polished a pearl necklace.

"So, rings. What are you looking for exactly?"

"Bonnie, how did you know?"

"You've been talking to my idiot of a brother. Of course I know," she paused, "and it's the only thing he's been ranting about for a while, now."

She looked away into the distance, as if she knew something I didn't know, then laughed awkwardly.

"I suppose we should actually get onto the rings, now. Here's some of our finest selections. I think Serena would like this one, maybe the diamond one back there…"

Bonnie's voice droned on about each one and how expensive it is, as I stared at the enormous collection of huge sparkling rings. Yet, although there were tons of them, each one being bigger and more glitzy then the previous one, none of them really appealed to me.

"Do you have any more?"

"Well," she hesitated uneasily, "there are some more plain ones? Although-"

"I want to see them." I stated, getting up tiredly.

She took me to a more secluded area of the shop, where the less glamorous jewellery was kept, and waved her hand over the noticeably smaller display of rings were.

"Here you go. I figured that you might want a less sparkly ring, but it's part of my job," she giggled, twirling a strand of her blonde hair, "so I got these rings out just for you-"

"I'd like this one, please."

I stab my finger at the ring at the back. It's a simple silver band, with small intricate carvings of swirls. Bonnie looked startled for a few moments, before smiling softly.

"Typical Ash, picking one in a few seconds. Never thinking, just going for the goal."

"Oh, you know me too well."

We laugh, and make small talk as I pay. I glance at Pikachu, and we leave, the ring tucked safely into my pocket.

"Come back soon! You'd better be an engaged man when I see you next!" Bonnie calls, and I wave back, before flicking my umbrella up.

I start to run across the street, not caring that I was jumping into every puddle, or that Pikachu was screaming at me in forms of 'pika'.

"How about we stop for a coffee break, Pikachu?" I shout, not waiting for his reply before rushing into Costa.

The warm air hits me like a train as I open the door, and we breathe happily in the homely aura of Costa. There are two other people in the shop, both looking like they were waiting for the rain to stop. It didn't look like they were getting back soon at the state of the rain outside, I think, tucking my umbrella into the stand by the doorway.

"One large coffee and a salted caramel muffin, please." I murmur, hoping my voice wouldn't give me away.

"No need to pay, Ash Ketchum," the woman laughs cheerily, "it's just nice to see the Pokemon Master here."

I smile in relief, no longer feeling the urge to hide away in my hair. Brushing my long bangs out of my eyes, I grinned as I took a large sip out of my coffee, choking when I realised it was burning my throat.

At least I wasn't cold any more.

Pikachu decided to devour my muffin for me, which earned him a long glare, but I guess I deserved it for making him run through multiple puddles. The rain poured heavier, to the point where it was almost hail, and I decided it wouldn't be smart to go home. Plus, my personal driver was on vacation, so I had no choice but to wait it out.

I stared out the large sheet of glass aimlessly, watching the droplets of water cascade down, creating uneven taps on the window. Drop, drop, drop. Resting my chin on my palm, and tapping my cheek with my fingers quietly, I realised there was a small figure running through the sheet of hail. I blinked quickly, squinting to try see who was foolish enough to be out at this weather.

At second glance, I realised it was a small girl, of about five, and she was crying miserably. Jumping up, I grasped the girl's hand as she ran by the door and pulled her inside the small shop. No one else seemed to be aware of this, so I fussed over her excessively as she stood, shaking with coldness, on the doormat , dripping a small puddle on the shiny floor.

Surprisingly, she was silent, sobbing as she clutched onto her thin coat. I tried desperately to warm her up, and finally, she stopped shaking and crying and was sleeping by the fire. I decided to call a taxi, since the rain was still pouring, and I took the small bundle with me back home.

It wasn't kidnapping, I told myself repeatedly, it was merely saving the poor girl and bringing her back to identify her.

Looking closer, she didn't look like a Kalosian. Her clothes were of a famous brand from Hoenn, a rather expensive one at that, so I figured her parents were rich Hoenn citizens in vacation to Kalos. Her shoulder length hair was the colour of ebony and her eyes were a vibrant blue, a rather unusual look that I hadn't seen before. I would file a police report the next day, her parents surely would miss her.

She finally woke up, only twenty minutes after we got back, and I was shocked to see her bouncing like a spoink on crack. Oh, the pain of calming her down. But the kid had sass. Instead of me questioning her on her origins, she was the one interviewing me. I had no idea how the kid did this, but she would be a good procrastinator when she was older, I sighed, handing the girl a cookie to slow her down.

"Mr Ash, this cookie has raisins in!"

"I know. I was the one to buy them. Oh no. Are you allergic?"

"You will get arrested by the chocolate police because raisins are evil! Lend me your walkie talkie so I can call the police!"

"You mean my phone?"

"Shush, give me the walkie talkie!"

After a small amount of five minutes, she had already learned that I was the Pokemon Master, all the legendaries I had met, plus all the stories I had told over the years. I was baffled at how my life story was squeezed into five minutes, but then again, she wasn't normal, I thought.

"I think it's about time for you to get to sleep, small child," I announced, scooping her up and running up the stairs before she could protest, "it's already nine, after all."

"Mr Ash, my name isn't 'small child', thank you very much." she pouted.

So much for the little angel I thought she was when I first saw her. She was definitely a demon in disguise. Although, I realised now that I had no idea what her name was. Stupid me.

"Well, what is your name, small child?" I laugh, dropping her gracefully onto the huge bed.

"Well, what is your name, Mr Ash?" she imitates, attempting to roll off the bed.

I roll my eyes and try to ignore how stupid this conversation was turning into as I wrestled her into bed once again. Sighing, I plop onto the bed, cursing myself for being the nice guy and rescuing the kid. Still, she wasn't clever enough to see how I was tricking her right now.

"My name is Ash, and my last name is Ketchum." I state, tucking her in.

Deciding that she was sleepy, she refuses to wrestle any longer and lies down limply. She grins at me angelically as she shuffles around, yawning as she does so.

She imitates me once again, falling into my trap: "My name is Annie, and my last name is Waterflower."

 **;;**

 **A/N: hope you guys don't murder me for my absence. I won't be surprised if everyone's gone either. I'll have to build up my followers again - that's my own fault.**

 **-Cat**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yoo~ I would appreciate it a lot if you shared this story? I've been writing really (ok fine I'm lazy, ok?) fast in order to get out a new chapter for you guys as fast as I can type and can spare time. (but watching anime comes first lol)**

 **Chapter Two**

" _My name is Ash, and my last name is Ketchum." I state, tucking her in._

 _Deciding that she was sleepy, she refuses to wrestle any longer and lies down limply. She grins at me angelically as she shuffles around, yawning as she does so._

 _She imitates me once again, falling into my trap: "My name is Annie, and my last name is Waterflower."_

"Waterflower? You're Misty's child?" I whisper, glancing back at Annie, wide eyed.

"Yep!"

I stumble back, looking closer at the small girl. So, this girl was the child of Misty. I felt guilt when I realised I hadn't contacted my first companion in years; the last time I had seen her was when we were sixteen, back when I tried out the Indigo League again, and we had only met up for a few days. Those were good memories, I recalled.

"Mr Ash, do you know my mommy? You look like you do."

I glance back at Annie, suddenly realising that Kanto, where Misty had stayed ever since she became gym leader, was a very long way from Kalos. How did the small girl get here in the first place? Misty wasn't the type to let her kids roam alone, especially at a young age, right? _Though, she might've changed over the last few years_ , a small voice in the back if my head chanted, since you've always put Pokemon first.

"Yeah, I know Mist," I say, surprised when I accidentally say her nickname, "so, how did you get to Kalos, Annie?"

She blinks at me, thinking. Those eyes, I suddenly realise, they're the same cerulean blue as Misty's. I didn't see it before, which was strange. But her hair must've come from her father. The prickle of guilt came back when I remembered that I wasn't that much of a good friend of hers to know that she had gotten together with someone. They weren't married, since Annie took the Waterflower name, so I could only wonder whether I would be invited to a wedding. _Of course not,_ I scolded myself, _why would she invite her friend from when she was ten?_

"I was with Auntie May and Uncle Grumpy," she begins, and I raise an eyebrow, amused, "and I was at their house whilst mommy had a gym vacation where she goes off to train water Pokemon for a week."

I nodded. It was usual for gym leaders to have an occasional week or so a year to catch new Pokemon, and I figured _'Uncle Grumpy'_ was probably Drew. I had last seen May the previous year, when I went to Hoenn for a conference, and she had been dating Drew. I wonder how they are. Suddenly, I realised how bad I was with keeping up with friends, and I lowered my eyes with shame. I needed to get better at the whole 'friends' thing.

"Then Auntie May told me that we were going back home after two weeks, and that we were going to take a big boat back. Auntie May and Uncle Drew went to get ice cream for me, but I got lost, so I went to a big boat and when I arrived it was rainy then you found me and gave me raisin cookies."

I sighed, realising that Annie was going to be a pain to take back. Oh, right. I had to call Misty, didn't I? I stood up, about to say goodnight, when Annie grabbed my arm. Glancing back at her, I realised she looked frightened, the first time I had seen her like that since I first spotted her in the rain.

"Will I ever see mommy again?"

"Of course," I smile, patting her on the head gently, "we'll go as soon as you wake up tomorrow."

"Can we have ham and cheese toasties?"

"Sure, if that's what you want."

I hadn't eaten toasties since I left for my very first journey, the one I met Misty on for the first time, and I suddenly felt nostalgic. Perhaps it was just a Kanto thing. Man, this child was making me think a lot.

"Thanks you, Mr Ash. Can you answer all my questions? I have a lot!"

"Fire away, small child."

"Where does Santa go when it's not Christmas?"

I should've known. Racking my brains quickly, deciding against telling her the truth, I sighed. I was never good at telling stories, that was more of Brock and Cilan's thing. They had been the older, more mature of the group, the one to guide my friends and me.

"Well, he goes to… hibernate! Like an Ursaring!"

"Oh! Mommy never told me. She would always go and make tea even though she doesn't like tea. Thank you Mr Ash!"

Annie pouted when she talked about her mother.

"Mommy always makes tea when she's angry. She blames it on stress."

Of course, Misty was always clever enough to dodge out of situations. Somehow, she never paid for her meals when we were younger, always guilt tripping Brock to pay for her, or me if she was desperate enough. My younger self was as stubborn as a brick though, I remembered, grinning. Our stock of teabags were always low when Misty was around, I reminisced.

"Mr Ash, you're clever. Do you know who my daddy is?"

I paused, staring wide eyed at the small girl. Just like Misty, taking advantage of the situation and brainy enough too. She definitely was the offspring of my childhood friend, so much so that I was stumped on whoever her father was. However, I was most surprised at the fact that she currently had no father figure in life; I knew for a fact that Misty disliked having no father figure in her own life when she was a child, since her father had left her mother when she was a toddler.

"Any older men that you know visit you a lot?"

"There's a few. There's Uncle Brock and Uncle Tracy," I knocked those two off my list, both were happily married already, and had been for a long time, "there's also Gary, Rudy and Danny. They're all very nice to me!"

I frowned deeply. With the exception of Gary, I hadn't seen the others in years; I had no idea where they were and what they looked like. Guess I would have to ask Misty herself.

"Annie, you should really be getting to sleep now. I'll call Mist now, and we'll go home to Kanto in the morning. Shh, goodnight."

"Night night Mr Ash!"

I turned around slowly, sighing as I wondered what talking to Misty would be like. It would be awkward, I decided, as I ticked off a list mentally in my head, and it would be embarrassing. The fact that I had to dig for my old address book for Misty's number made me feel guiltier, and I made a quick note to catch up with her when this was sorted. She had been great fun when they were younger, after all.

No, I decided, I would catch up to all of my previous companions.

I tapped in the digits into my phone, humming as I did so. It had been so long since I had typed out these numbers. The green button flashed wildly as the familiar tune blared into my ear. I winced, suddenly unsure whether this was a good idea or not.

Too late. She had picked up.

"Hello? I'm afraid I'm a little busy right now-"

"-Mist?"

My voice came out hoarse, desperate to keep her on the line, even if it meant interrupting her. I felt like another person - a complete stranger - was talking to me, however the sound coming from the other side emitted the same gentleness, the same short-but-polite string of words, and I marvelled at how much she had changed at the same time.

She takes a sharp intake of breath and she hears my words, and I hear her dropping her phone onto what I predicted was a table, and after a few moments, and picks up again, her breathing pattern fast like a Swellow.

"A-Ash?"

"Hi, Mist, it's me-"

"-I have no time right now, Ash," she whispers, and I can almost see her scrunching up her nose in confusion, "I have to find someone-"

"Your daughter," I interrupt quickly, "I have her right here- I-I mean I've found her! I haven't kidnapped her, I promise!"

Silence greets me from the other side. I press my phone closer to my ear, desperately hoping she hasn't called the police - I didn't want one of my best friends suing me right after I had just found her again.

Then, the tinkle of a suppressed laugh surprises me, and my heart lurches happily,eating faster than it normally should. I clamp a hand to my chest - I can worry about my heart later, Misty's laugh was a piece of music to me.

"Ash, what the hell is happening?" she demands, her laughter ending almost as abruptly as it started. Typical Misty.

"Your daughter happened," I reply, grinning as I hear her sputter, "She's the exact replica of you, y'know. She made me realise how much I missed my childhood; with you and Brock especially."

;;

I promised Misty that I would take Annie back as soon as possible; of course, I had already planned to do that, but every second with her made me smile wider and wider - so much so that I wouldn't hang up until I heard the long monotonous beep. Our conversation was short, cut off by Misty going to tell everyone that Annie was safe.

I was surprised at how much Misty trusted me to take back Annie, even after all these years.

Waking up in the morning, I walked with a newfound spring in my step, an urge to hum whilst cooking, a want to run into the streets and scream with happiness - and I was positive that this was because of Misty.

After a short breakfast of toasties and orange juice, I swung Annie onto my shoulders and we headed out to the bus stop; it was the fastest path to the airport, since there was a train strike.

I had considered using Charizard to Kanto, it was a much faster ride, but I refused to let myself possibly hurt Annie on the way to Misty. It was almost guaranteed that I would get strange looks; after all it wasn't every day that the Pokemon Master took the normal everyday bus. The driver almost fainted when he saw me, blubbering out something that I couldn't understand, but he tried to let me get on without paying a fare, but I forced the money into his palm anyway; it suddenly felt wrong, how I took advantage of the average people.

The bus was full to the brim, around five or six people were standing up already. A woman immediately stood up as we passed her.

"No, it's fine, I don't need a seat," I protested, gently pushing her back down again, but she stood strong.

"I'm sure your child would appreciate sitting down, though," she laughed, moving off her seat.

I frowned, realising that Annie was still on my shoulders.

"Right, thanks." I surprised myself when I didn't deny being Annie's father.

;;

It took about thirty minutes to arrive at the airport; ignoring the missed calls and many texts on my phone.

I laughed as I realised that this was the first time in a while that I had felt the thrill of looking at the huge building of the airport. Gripping Annie's hand tightly - I didn't have time to lose her - we ran to where our plane was sited at. We laughed as we sprinted past all the shocked faces of the Pokemon Master carrying a small giggling child. Zipping past camera flashes and pointing fingers, we made it to the fastest plane in the country that would take us to Kanto.

Annie glanced out of the window nervously, and I quickly picked up that she had never been on a plane before. It made sense, Misty was practically married to the ocean.

 _[09:45] Ash: your daughter is scared of planes, whats with that, the oh great and mighty misty?_

 _[09:52] Misty: i like the water its not up to u what i do with my child the oh great and mighty pokemon master_

 _[09:53] Ash: u finally accepted that i am a great pokemon master?_

 _[09:54] Misty: i hope annie is ok with such a cocky man_

 _[09:54] Ash: dont avoid my question accept my superiority_

Did I say anything wrong? I glanced down at Annie, who was already asleep, then looked back at my phone, waiting for a reply.

 _[09:57] Misty: i have to go_

I frowned. Something was definitely wrong. But I could wait to ask her about it.

Because we had arrived at Kanto.

 **;;**

 **A/N: lmao expect an update in like two years I'm such a slow writer like idek anymore ;3;**

 **I'm so lazy**

 **Is it me or did the font change halfway through o.o**

 **-the lazy writer**


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